India Asia Cup 2025 Squad Announcement: Shubman Gill returns as vice-captain; Bumrah, Kuldeep back in 15-man team

Shreyas Iyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sai Sudharsan, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and Rishabh Pant are all players who would walk into any T20 squad around the world. And yet, they are the ones who have been excluded from the Indian squad for the Asia Cup. 

Read more here about India's surplus of demand in the talent department in T20Is written by Sandip G. 

India's squads for the ODI series against Australia and the subsequent Women's World Cup were also announced today. 

ODI squad for Australia series: Harmanpreet Kaur (C), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (WK), Kranti Gaud, Sayali Satghare, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (WK), Sneh Rana

India’s Women’s ODI World Cup 2025 full squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Capt), Smriti Mandhana (VC), Pratika Rawal, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Renuka Singh Thakur, Arundhati Reddy, Richa Ghosh (WK), Kranti Gaud, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Sree Charani, Yastika Bhatia (WK) and Sneh Rana

Agarkar: "This is the first big tournament that we are playing after the T20 World Cup. We played three-four bilateral series but it's a good tournament to test ourselves. After this too there are many T20s. It starts with the Asia Cup," Suryakumar Yadav said on what lies ahead for the Indian team leading up to the T20 World Cup.

"The preparation is obviously...we had a little bit of idea after the last World Cup, which way we are going to go. But as you get closer, you know who your 16-17-18 are. You want to try and give them the best possible opportunity to be in the best shape going into the World Cup. So yeah, it starts now."

Agarkar: With regards to Yashasvi Jaiswal, I mean it's just unfortunate again.  Abhishek Sharma, what he's done over the last few months or a year or so that he's been with the team. Plus, that he can bowl a little bit gives us an option, if required, by the captain.

One of these guys was always going to miss out. It's just unfortunate that Yash Shishun might have to wait for his chance. With regards to Shreyas, I mean, we can replace that. Again, no fault of his. Nor is it ours. It's just that he can pick 15 and, at the moment, he might have to wait for his chance.

Agarkar: We will take the call on the best balance for the team. Once we get to Dubai, will have a bit more clarity. More options available now, Shubman has been in great form anyway last few months. So has Sanju. so two good options, along with Abhishek.

India's stand-by players for the Asia Cup 2025: Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel

Stars of the T20 World Cup 2024 win, Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep Yadav will return to the squad for the first time in over a year. 

India T20I squad for Asia Cup 2025: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Shubman Gill (VC), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (WK), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh

Shubman Gill returns to the T20I squad as the vice-captain of the side!

Chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar and captain Suryakumar Yadav have reached to address the media.

Press conference to start at 2:45 pm, pings Devendra Pandey.

BCCI update: The Selection Committee Meeting for the Team India Asia Cup squad selection is underway.

Devendra Pandey: BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia arrives at the BCCI headquarters. The selection meeting should be underway any minute now.

R Ashwin has called for Shreyas Iyer's inclusion, albeit it would be hard to ignore the T20I performers that are stacked ahead of him.

"If you look at it very logically, there is nothing much to talk about. The team almost picks itself, but if there can be some surprise, I'm genuinely speaking, I've said this before as well, I think Shreyas Iyer deserves to be in that side. But even if Shreyas Iyer makes the cut, it would be a bit of a surprise because every guy who played in the T20 has performed. If Shreyas Iyer has to play, he has to bat at No. 3," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. 

"If I am selecting Shreyas Iyer, I would want him to bat at No. 3, the place where he expressed himself. He was unstoppable; nobody could stop him throughout the IPL. He gave a tough time to both spinners and fast bowlers," he added.

Devendra Pandey:BCCI secretary Devajit Sakia is yet arrive for selection meeting. As a result meeting is yet to start

"Shivam Dube was also part of the T20 World Cup-winning squad. So, he also has to be given continuity. Shreyas Iyer/Shivam Dube/Rinku Singh will be the biggest debate of the selection committee," says former India all-rounder R Ashwin.

It is understood that only two or three spots could come under serious debate at the selection table today. Here's a look at some of the key contenders for the slots:

Pacers: Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Harshit Rana

Batter/All Rounder: Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag, Washington Sundar

DETAILED ANALYSIS

While the ICC T20 World Cup squads in six months time will be a battle for 15 spots in the roster, the Asian Cricket Council permits 17-member squad for the Asia Cup. Picking 17 players will help India tide over immediate headaches and expand the pool of players they'd want to rehearse with. But will head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav opt for such a move this afternoon?

Devendra Pandey reports: The selection committee has decided to pick 15 members squad today. They won’t be going with 17 members.

Devendra Pandey: Some interesting calls are being made before selection committee meet. Despite heavy rainfall today in Mumbai, Indian T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has reached BCCI office before time for Asia Cup selection.

An update from the BCCI has stated that the squad selection announcement could face a delay today owing to the weather disruptions with heavy rains in Mumbai. 

Aakash Chopra's Indian squad for 2025 Asia Cup: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Varma, Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas lyer, Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Jitesh Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kuldeep Yadav

In a country where unbridled expectations are an entitlement for cricket fans, Arshdeep Singh can occasionally shuttle between becoming a leading T20I bowling exponent and just another run-machine (from the wrong end).

But it is not for nothing that the left-arm seamer has emerged as a bowling mainstay for India in the shortest format. In only two and a half years and 60 T20Is, the 25-year-old Arshdeep has vaulted past greats Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar to become India’s highest wicket-taking pacer. READ MORE

Besides the Asia Cup fixtures, India are slated to play 15 high-octane T20 matches against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand as preparations will hot up during the winter for the world title defence in the sub-continent.

India's Asia Cup 2025 schedule:

• September 10: v UAE, Dubai
• September 14: v Pakistan, Dubai
• September 19: v Oman, Abu Dhabi

Other T20Is before T20 World Cup 2026

• India tour of Australia - 5 T20Is (Oct-Nov 2025)
• India vs South Africa - 5 T20Is (Dec 2025)
• India vs New Zealand - 5 T20Is (Jan 2026)

Varun Chakaravarthy or Kuldeep Yadav? Or, Varun and Kuldeep? And what with Ravi Bishnoi then? 

If India are buoyant about their batting choices in the top-middle order, the Men in Blue could then bring together arguably one of the attacking bowling trios in T20Is if they manage to field all three of Jasprit Bumrah, Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakaravarthy together. If India opt for a second seamer Arshdeep Singh too, the batting stocks inevitably take a hit unless the top-7 is packed with all-firing guns. Despite not featuring in a T20I since the World Cup final in Barbados last year, India's premier wrist-spinner Kuldeep remains in pole position to bolt into the side.

India's leading run-scorers in T20Is since last World Cup

Abhishek Sharma - 535 runs, 16 innings, 193.84 SR, 100s: 2, 50s: 2, 6s: 41

Sanju Samson - 487 runs, 16 innings, 171.47 SR, 100s: 3, 50s: 1, 6s: 34

Tilak Varma - 413 runs, 9 innings, 170.66 SR, 100s: 2, 50s: 1, 6s: 27

Hardik Pandya - 320 runs, 13 innings, 145.45 SR, 50s: 1, 6s: 13

Making the most of the break they got in the absence of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson conjured up incredible numbers across three series, sending India’s top-order scoring through the roof in the first signs of a change of guard under Suryakumar’s full-fledged leadership. 

Continuing the Samson-Abhishek combine will instantly warrant certain sacrifices, consistency and tall averages are high on that list. Their salvo burns bright but throws up a glaring caveat.

Since the last World Cup, Abhishek and Samson have topped the batting charts for India, scoring 535 and 487 runs in 16 innings respectively. Opening together in 12 innings, the pair have managed only 165 runs between them for the first wicket, with a solitary 50-plus stand, lasting just 27.1 overs. READ MORE

Our correspondent Devendra Pandey recently announced that the Indian T20I core is all but sealed, with as many as four players likely to be in the race for one spot. Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh, Riyan Parag and Washington Sundar may be in the race for one place in the T20I team bus. READ MORE

Batters: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Tilak Varma, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer

Wicket-keepers: Sanju Samson, Jitesh Sharma, Dhruv Jurel

All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag

Spinners: Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi

Pacers: Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna

Even as IPL exploits no longer guarantee a spot in the India squad, the league continues to be an enticing hotbed for selection dynamics, a fine meter to gauge radical shifts among batters on the national radar. It is exactly why openers Shubman Gill and Yashasvi Jaiswal will have to bide time behind Abhishek Sharma and Samson to wriggle their way back in. The IPL 2025 season also exemplifies why a marauding Shreyas Iyer was a major summer takeaway, and a T20I recall might bolster India’s collective top-order firepower to the next level. Lalith Kalidas explores India's potential No. 3 tussle

It's going to be a day for a lot of debates and discussions as India will unveil not one but two important squads. Yes, while the men's senior chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar will announce the Asia Cup T20I squad, the Indian Women's ODI squad for the forthcoming home World Cup will also be announced this afternoon in Mumbai. 

Pakistan have just announced their squad for the tournament. Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan nowhere to be seen.

Pakistan squad: Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem

Here is an update from Devendra Pandey: "#AsiaCup team announcement tomorrow at 1:30 PM followed by women’s selection meeting for ICC Women’s World Cup"

That is what Kris Srikkanth feels is the right way to go. Vaibhav Suryavanshi has shown the kind of maturity and power that even adult batters seldom have in the 2025 season of the IPL. Is he too young, or is he good to go? 

It is learnt that the selection committee will discuss whether to go ahead with a specialist batsman in Shreyas Iyer, Rinku Singh or Riyan Parag, or go with the all-rounder Washington Sundar.

Kuldeep Yadav may have needed to warm the bench throughout India's five-Test series in England. But with the T20 World Cup defence at home on the horizon, he has soared back into the selectors’ consciousness and could be picked for the Asia Cup. He could feature prominently too in the UAE showdown as India galvanise their spin ammunition before the World Cup.

READ MORE

Tilak Varma's struggles against slow bowlers this IPL, stand out sorely within India's T20 template of attacking spin, and Sanju Samson could be pushed down to No 3, given how he struggled to break free against England pacers. Or else, there is a possibility of India deciding to give the spot to Shreyas Iyer, who had excelled there playing for Punjab Kings in this year's IPL.

READ | Can Tilak Varma hold off spin-bashing Shreyas Iyer from the India T20I No 3 spot?

Shreyas Iyer was in utterly astonishing form in the IPL, thus continuing the prolific run he was enjoying in ODIs. Shreyas has been out of contention for T20Is for some time now. Will he find a place in the squad again this time?

While most names in the Asia Cup squad may face little debate, two spots may prompt some discussion when the selection panel meets on Tuesday. Read about the choices and what they bring to the table HERE.

India have a fast bowler who has drawn comparisons, and in some statistics even surpassed, with the likes of Malcolm Marshall, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Courtney Walsh, Glenn McGrath... basically any legendary fast bowler you can name. Most of his effectiveness comes from an action that is quite frankly sickening to watch in slow motion because of all the contortions his body does in the proces. Naturally, the side effect of his gifts is a brittle body, which has resulted in India having to carefully manage his gametime. The result? A Bumrah firing on all cylinders in all formats consistently since his return in 2023 from a long-term injury, and a plethora of former players, including those whose careers were undone by injuries, and fans calling for his blood due to him seemingly picking and choosing matches like a spoilt kid at a candy store. All of it leads to the question, does India deserved Jasprit Bumrah? 

Shubman Gill may have established himself as someone who deseves to be India's Test captain in rather emphatic fashion in the recently concluded series in England. He has also been in sensational form off late in T20 cricket, particularly in the IPL captaining Gujarat Titans. Yashasvi Jaiswal has also established himself as a bona fide star in the Test team and in the IPL. And yet, both these batters, who are touted to carry forward India's rich legacy in this department of the sport, are not confirmed places in the Indian T20I squad. Why is that? Find out HERE. 

Mohammed Kaif recently picked his T20I side for the Asia Cup side, including Shubman Gill as a back-up opener and leaving out Yashasvi Jaiswal.

Kaif's Asia Cup 2025 squad: Abhishek Sharma, Sanju Samson, Tilak Verma, Suryakumar Yadav, Axar Patel, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Shubman Gill, Jitesh Sharma, Varun Chakravarthy, Mohammed Siraj

Kuldeep Yadav is arguably the most attacking spinner across formats in his country, yet he finds himself chewing his nails, uncertain he would play in every game on the sidelines. The England Test tour must have been particularly frustrating but can India deny the spin wizard even in the shortest format. Sandip G writes on how Kuldeep could just be India's most lethal spin weapon in T20Is

Former India off-spinner Harbhajan Singh made some bold choices as he picked his squad for the Asia Cup a couple of days ago. Interestingly, Harbhajan omitted wicket-keeper Sanju Samson, who struck three centuries last year.

Harbhajan's India Asia Cup squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Washington Sundar, Riyan Parag, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.

India's Asia Cup 2025 schedule:

• September 10: v UAE, Dubai
• September 14: v Pakistan, Dubai
• September 19: v Oman, Abu Dhabi

Other T20Is before T20 World Cup 2026

• India tour of Australia - 5 T20s (Oct-Nov 2025)
• India vs South Africa - 5 T20s (December 2025)
• India vs New Zealand - 5 T20s (January 2026)

After being ignored for the T20 World Cup squad last year, Shubman Gill made brief appearances as captain and vice-captain in the subsequent tours of Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka. With Test assignments given more emphasis since September 2024, Gill was kept away from the shortest format as Abhishek Sharma and Sanju Samson went on a tear across three series against Bangladesh, South Africa and England.

While it would have been a seamless integration back into the scheme of things upon his return in another timeline, India's T20 stocks are currently on an otherworldly plane where even a batter of Gill's calibre remains on the fringes of selection. Our correspondent Devendra Pandey explains how Gill could miss the cut, despite his name popping up in discussions to replace Tilak Varma in the T20I team.

For quite a while since the T20 World Cup win last year, India's T20I assignments had taken a backseat with a fresh set of exuberant personnel taking over and impressing with their unflinching approach. Suryakumar Yadav's men have rebranded the way India approaches the T20I format, and with an Asia Cup squad selection on the anvil, it is likely that the newfound template is likely to remain.

That would mean a queue of heavyweight stars will be formed under the contenders tag, including Test captain Shubman Gill, dashing opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and a rejuvenated Shreyas Iyer. Exciting times ahead.